You are probably correct about the read time being a feature of the app. After thinking about it and watching last night after I read a book, I think that the read time is an estimate of how long it will take to read the book. That to me is also a rather useless feature. I'd "disappear" the columns, but like I said, that ability doesn't seem to be present with the installation I have of mobipocket. Maybe I'll just try to reinstall it - 3d time is a charm, right?